Megan Coleman

What are you planning to do next year and what do you plan to be doing five years from now?

I have accepted a volunteer position with the Peace Corps in Nicaragua starting this August where I will be doing environmental work focusing on community development and education. After the Peace Corps, I can see myself enrolling into graduate school for (marine) conservation at an international school that will tie in my acquired knowledge of Spanish to my undergraduate course work in environmental studies and biology.

How have your vocational/career goals changed during your time at CSB/SJU?

I can say that since my first year at CSB/SJU, I have evolved immensely. When I was a freshman, I wanted to become a marine biologist...in Minnesota. I have now modified my career goals after my experiences that I have had in the past four years as a CSB student to live a life that follows the Benedictine values of stewardship, hospitality, and taking counsel.

Why did you choose Biology as a major and how did you go about choosing the 300-level Biology courses that you chose?

I am actually a Biology minor but I chose to pursue the academics of Biology because I have a natural desire to understand the scientific explanations behind certain environmental phenomena. The College of St. Benedict/St. John's University have provided me with many opportunities to pursue these desires which lead me to take courses in Animal Behavior, Aquatic Ecology, and Natural History of Terrestrial Vertebrates.

What was the most rewarding experience you had at CSB/SJU (Biology-related or otherwise)?

I have to say that the courses of the Biology Department have provided me with many wonderful experiences with the natural world. Many of my labs were spent in the field- canoeing on the lakes of campus, hiking the trails of the arboretum, and trekking through the marshes so that I may gain first hand experience of field collection and observation. These memories that I have generated in the field will transfer into my life after college which is both a rewarding and unique distinction of our school.

Do you have any advice for students who are not sure what they want to do after graduation?

I would advise them that life happens when you least expect it-opportunities arise when you least expect it and that life will work out the way it is meant to in the end.